Leicester’s wheely great cycling story

King of the road: Pupils from Braunstone's Caldecote Junior School, in July 1976. 33 kids took the test. Six gained distinctions. Darren Sutherland is pictured here on the Ferrari of childhood, the Raleigh Chopper. He got 97 per cent. But, I wonder, did anyone ever fail the cycling proficiency?

As a child, it was a special thing to have your own form of transport: first, perhaps, a three-wheeler and then a small two-wheeler and finally a full-sized ‘grown-up’s’ cycle.

I remember all my bikes quite clearly – and their types probably gives my age away a little too easily!

The first was a brand new Gresham Flyer three-wheeler in blue, with a little ‘boot’ at the back which opened up, so that it was possible to transport things around with you.

It was much more useful than the small saddle-bag that went with my second bike – a second-hand Coventry Eagle small-frame two-wheeler.

I loved that bike and spent hours cleaning and oiling it.

The badge was a stylish chromium-plated eagle, which gave the modest bike a touch of real class.

When I outgrew the ‘Eagle’, I had a full-size BSA bought from Cedric Clayson’s cycle shop, on Belgrave Road. It was a 13th birthday present. My best friend had the same type of bike from the same shop on his birthday a few weeks later.

We went all over the place on those bikes: in fact, bike rides were one of the great pleasures of the school holidays, as it meant freedom and independence: Bradgate Park, Swithland Woods, Cropston Reservoir Queniborough all were in easy reach.

Snow problem: Leicester's London Road, in Stoneygate, on February 21, 1963, with morning motorists and cyclists going to work, despite the conditions.

The traffic was light then compared to today and there always seemed to be room for cycles as well as cars and vans.

I wouldn’t want to cycle along those narrow roads today, although one, a favourite for heading north, had one of the first – if not the first – cycle-only lanes in the city: it began where Melton Road became dual carriageway, just beyond the Rushey Fields and lasted as far as the Thurmaston bypass – great! I think it’s still there today.

Leicester has a distinguished history as far as cycle manufacturing goes. In the Leicester Mercury’s Transport Memories of Leicester, published in 1990, Tony Pickering gives the background:

“The first bicycle, named a velocipede, was invented in France in the early 1860s. It was introduced into the UK in 1868 where manufacture began in Coventry a year later. It soon gained the nickname ‘the boneshaker’ due to its wooden wheels and metal tyres.

“Machines of this type were made in Leicester by its earliest known cycle manufacturer, J Parr, of 58 Navigation Street.

“As the chaindrive of today had yet to be invented, development of the bicycle gave us larger and larger front wheels. This type of machine was eventually known as a ‘penny-farthing’ and was manufactured by several Leicester cycle makers: A Barron, of 23 Albion Street; Thomas Clay, of 264 Belgrave Gate; Henry Curry – note the name – of 24 Painter Street; S Davis, of 5 St James Street; Robert Edlin, of Frog Island, T Fox of New Bridge Street and J Parr, who had now moved to 61 Friar Lane and W Spiers of Queen Street.

“In 1884, Henry Curry began to manufacture bicycles at the rear of his Painter Street house. He moved to larger premises at 28 Painter Street, where, from the 1890s he was making 25 cycles a week.

“His sons James and Edwin joined him, James becoming the business brain while Edwin became a successful racing cyclist.

“Their first shop at 271 Belgrave Gate was the first of many nationwide – the 500th branch was opened in 1981.

“Another famous national name started in Leicester in 1902: the Halford Cycle Co, which took its name from its premises at 9 Halford Street.

“Leicester at this time became one of the recognised centres for bicycle racing, attracting thousands of spectators.

“The public adulation racing cyclists received during this period was equal to that of today’s pop stars.

“Leicester also had the distinction in 1970 of hosting the World Cycling Championships, which brought thousands of foreigners to the city and county.”